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(No Model.)

W/7'NESSES:

4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. H. PENDLETON & 0'. TIERSQ APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING OR UNSHIPPI'NG CABLEGAR GRIPPE RS.

Patented Feb. 21, 1893.

ATTOHNEX (No Model.) r 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. H. PENDLETON &'O.VTIERS.APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING on UNSHIPPING CABLE GAR GRIPPERS.

' No. 492,103. Patented Feb. 2l 1893.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. H; PENDLETON 8: O. TIERS. APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING 0R UNSHIPPING CABLEGAR GRIPPERSV No. 492103. Pat

WITNESSES.

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(No Model.) I 4 Sheetg-Sheet v J. H. PBNDLETON & -C. T,IE'RS A APPARATUSFOR SHIPPING 0R UNSHIPPING GABLE GARGRIPPERSr Pamented'Feb; 21,1893.

llll I INVENTOHS v mm STATE LATENT Fries.-

JOHN H. PENDLETON, OF BROOKLYN, AND CORNELIUS TIER S, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR SHIPPING OR UNSHIPPING CABLE-CAR GRIPPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,103, dated February21, 1893.

Application filed June 21, 1892.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. PENDLETON, of Brooklyn, and CORNELIUSTIERS, of New York city, New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Shipping and Unshipping the Grippers ofGripper-Oars, of which the following is a description, reference beingtaken to the accompanying drawings, which form partof thisspecification.

Our improvement consists of a hydraulic jack arranged underneath theroad bed and provided with a cradle which is raised and lowered by thejack, rising underneath the gripper and forcing the gripper upwardthrough suitable trap-doors in the surface of the road and in theflooring of the car. When raised, the doors of the floorin gcatch thegripper and retain it in its raised position, when the cradle descends.The car may then be run into the car-house upon tracks which are notprovided with trenches or slots. Beneath the body of the car are placedguides for the rise and fall of the gripper. The cradle consists of abed-plate conforming to the under surface of the gripper and verticalend-plates at each end. These end-plates extend upward with parallelsides for a short distance and terminate in inverted Vs. This enablesthe cradle to be pushed up between a pair of cables, spreading thecables apart and forcing open the trap-doors in the surface of the roadbed. The lower surface of the cradle is also V-shaped to permit thecradle to pass downward between the cables. The valve of the jack may beopened by means of a hand wrench and suitable connections from the sideof the track. When the cradle has reached its raised position it tripsthe valve, closing it and opening an exhaust port, which in turn allowsthe cradle to force out the wa ter or other fluid which operates thejack, and to descend to the bottom of its stroke. Such briefly is ourinvention. By its use we are able to economize both time and labor inunshipping the grippers from the cars, and storing them within the cars,in order to run the cars into the car-houses.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are end views showing thehydraulic jack in its lowered and in its raised posi- Serial No.437,512. (No model.)

'tions, the gripper beingrespectively in its normal position and itsposition as suspended from the trap-doors of the carfioor. Fig. 3 is aplan view of the gripper and cradle, the gripper being partly brokenaway. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the jack. Fig.5 is a side view of thejack and gripper when raised. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the automaticvalve.

In the figures like letters of reference indicate like parts.

B indicates the gripperhung from support ing shafts a turning uponcranks c of the raising and lowering apparatus of the car, in a mannerdescribed in a patent granted to John H. Pendleton on the 2d of August,1892, and numbeped 479,920 The supporting shafts 0' lie in horizontalchannelsin the gripper-head; but when the gripper is pushed up into thecar the cranks a, turning thereby, withdraw the supporting shafts fromthe channels and leave the gripper entirely free, as

shown in the drawings. The connecting rods of the gripping mechanism areof course disconnected before the gripper is raised. The hydraulic jackconsists of a cylinder D provided with a plunger E and a plunger rod orpiston rod F surmounted by the cradle G. The plunger rod F may be madeof cross sections small enough to pass between the cables withoutinterfering with either. It may be of elongated cross section to give itstrength, without too great thickness transversely to the cables. Whenthe jack is used on asiding instead of on the main line, it is notnecessary to make the piston rod of this form as there will be no cableto interfere with it. The travel of the cradle which is about three orfour feet, enables it to raise the gripper to the necessary height andthen to pass downward until it lies entirely below the bottom of thetrench. The bed plate of the cradle is shown at g, wedge shaped beneathto pass downward between the cables and hollowed out above to conformwith the gripper. The end-plates h of the cradle are of the same widthas the bed-plate and extend upward with parallel sides; as shown, andthen each tapers off in an inverted V. It will be clearly seen in theend views that the cradle completely shields the gripper in its passageupward or downward, and that the trap-doors J in the road bed will beforced open by the rise of the cradle and will slide upon the paralleledges of the end plates h. Beneath the car body we place guide frames Kto insure the rise of the gripperinto its proper place. The trap-doors Lare provided with lugs Z which fall into suitable recesses in thegripper-head frames, and thereby suspend the gripper. In Fig. 5 ears Zare shown upon the frames for serving as rests for the lugs Z. The doorsL are also provided with the guide frames k, concentric to their hinges,which serve, when the doors are open, as continuations of frames K.

In Fig. 6 are shown the details of a three way valve for controlling ourhydraulicj ack. M indicates the supply pipe, N the outlet or exhaust,and O the connection leading from the valve to the cylinder of the jack.The valve may be turned to admit pressure to the cylinder by means of ahand wrench P and connections P. IVhen turned on, the plunger is forcedup, bringing the cradle under the gripper and raising the gripper intothe car. lVhen the gripper has risen to a point somewhat above theposition for resting upon the lugs Z, aprojecting angle iron f, securedto the plunger rod F, strikes the arm R of a rockshaft S connected bycranks s s and a connecting rod S with the valve. As the cradle risesfarther the valve is closed and a weight W upon the valve brought intoposition to fall and open the exhaust as in Fig. 6. The cradle thereuponbegins its descent, but the gripper, caught by the lugs Z, is retained.\Vhen it is desired to again lower the gripper, the valve is opened bymeans of the wrench P and the cradle is brought up be neath the gripperraising it from the lugs Z. If the trap-doors L be then thrown back, theautomatic descent of the cradle will lower the gripper into place. Whenthe cradle descends the doors J fall back into closed position.

\Vith our apparatus we find it possible to connect or disconnect thegripper, and ship or unship it in a few seconds. The car is firstbrought to a position just above the trapdoors J. To facilitate this weform pockets T in the rails to receive the car wheels. The raising andlowering are then accomplished, and the car run off.

\Ve have now set forth the essential features of our invention, andtherefore, desiring to secure to ourselves the many immaterial changeswhich may be made in detail and in construction, without departing fromthe principles of our invention,

We claim, broadly, and desire to secure by these Letters Patent, thefollowing:

1. A hydraulic jack for raising and lowering the grippers of cable cars,provided with a cradle for supporting and carrying the said grippers,and a valve for controlling the said jack, substantially as, and for thepurposes, set forth.

2. A hydraulic jack for raising and lowering the grippers of cable cars,provided with a cradle for supporting and carrying the said grippers,trap-doors in the road bed automatically opened and closed by the saidcradle, and valves for controlling the said jack, substantially as, andfor the purposes, set forth.

3. A hydraulic jack for raising and lowering the grippers of cable cars,provided with a cradle for supporting and carrying the said grippers,the said cradle being provided with deflecting faces for enabling it torise and fall without interference with the cable or cables, and valvesfor controlling the said jack, substantially as, and for the purposes,set forth.

4:. A hydraulic jack for raising and lowering the grippers of cable carsprovided with a cradle for supporting and carrying the said grippers,the said cradle being provided with deflecting faces for enabling it torise and fall without interference with the cable or cables, Valves forcontrolling the said jack, and one or more gripper cars provided withtrap-doors in the flooring thereof, and constructed to be opened by therise of the said grippers and to catch under and thereby retain the saidgrippers when raised, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.

5. A cable car provided with trap-doors in the flooring for permittingthe rise of the cable gripper, and guides K upon the car body forguiding the movement of the gripper, substantially as, and for thepurposes, set forth.

6. In a cable car, a gripper detachable therefrom and trap-doors L forpermitting the rise of said gripper, and constructed to catch upon andthereby retain the said gripper, substantially as, and for the purposes,set forth.

7. In combination in an apparatus for shipping and unshipping thegrippers of cable cars, a cradle for the said grippers, and mechanismfor raising and lowering the said cradle, substantially as, and for thepurposes, set forth.

8. In combination in an apparatus for shipping and unshipping thegrippers of cable cars, araisin g and lowering mechanism placed beneaththe track, and means for supporting the said grippers upon the saidraising and lowering mechanism, whereby they may be removed from, andplaced in operative positions upon the said cars, substantially as, andfor the purposes, set forth.

In testimony whereof we hereto set our hands this 16th day of June,1892.

JOHN H. PENDLETON. CORNELIUS TIERS. \Vitnesses:

CHAS. V. MOORE, W. E. PERKINS.

ICO

